The European Union, due to its size, is one of the largest regulatory bodies and therefore if they regulate anything, the change is very likely to affect a product globally. They've already confirmed that in a few years, all portable charging devices will need to use the USB-C connector, and now it looks like they're going to make it easier to change a smartphone's battery.
And it is not surprising that they want it, because as time goes by, the battery of a mobile phone degrades. The fact that it is so difficult to simply change the battery makes many people want to change their mobile model, when simply allowing them to open the mobile and buy a new battery would solve many electronic waste problems.
Europe wants to make it easier to change the mobile battery
The european parliament has voted in favor of new rules for handling batteries of all sizes in the EU. They must be applied within a period of 3,5 years from their approval or already in 2027. Portable batteries incorporated into electronic devices must be easily removable and replaceable by the end user, or by independent operators during the useful life of the device if the Batteries have a service life shorter than that of the device, or at the latest at the end of the device's service life.
It is defined as such, that after removing a battery, it can be replaced by a similar one without affecting its operation or performance. As defined in the regulation, there is a broader context that includes laptops, printers and mobile phones. End users have the responsibility to properly separate those batteries that are "easily removable by the end user without the need for professional tools«.
According to Repair.EU, manufacturers must offer batteries as replacement parts for five years after the sale of the last model and at an affordable price. That would mean you could keep your next phone for well over five years if the problem is just the battery, which would save a person who uses the phone daily a lot.
Kevin Purdy, a former member of iFixIt, has commented that as the regulation stands, there can be many interpretations. But this will mean that manufacturers must design a mobile that does not give people any problem to change their battery with some easy-to-find tools. And since the EU is very large, this change will also affect mobile phones that come out in the United States.
Source: ArsTechnica
